The Comforts Of The Sand (ON HIATUS)
by Lil' Hedgepig
Summary: "A young Chani is just now realizing her potential in the skill of the Fremen. Though head-strong and rebellious despite the restrictions place on her by the Elders, her skills are far from mastered, and still weak. This may cause problems when a particular Fremen psychopath from a neighboring tribe gets the jump on her."
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hello, all you lovely fanfiction readers! Welcome to the first chapter of my Dune fanfiction! I do have a pretty good idea of where I'm going to go with this, and I hopefully won't drag this story to the ends of the Earth, which I seem to have problems doing. I may warn you that the characters displayed here might be out of character and I might get the lore wrong as well, if either of these two things you catch, and you'd like to help a fellow author out, a nice little PM with whatever mistake and how to fix it would be wonderful. Well, I've dragged this on long enough._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own anything that pertains to the Dune universe. All characters, locations, and lore belong to the rightful author, Frank Herbert. The only thing I may claim to own is the story which I am going to display, and a few original characters.**

 **The Comfort Of The Sand - Chapter 1**

The fine-grained nature that was attached to the feeling of sand was something that a person could be addicted to surprisingly quick. Time had no affect on these sands. They remained the same no matter what event occurred on or away from the sands. This omnipresent texture of the sand was a sort of reassurance in a way. It represented a continuity among waves of change. The sand continued to be coarse, and that was what was important to that continuity. It was a light amongst a spreading darkness, or at least could have been considered as such. Many people were no doubt superstitious of change. Change was the unknown. Change was more often than not the bearer of troubles and trails. Change wiped away what was desired to be preserved. It was a destructive force which could not be prevented, nor overcome, nor avoided, Change, in itself, was ironic, as it is the only true continuity in the universe. Though, however, that said may be true in the universe, but on Arrakis, it was not so. If it were the only truth, that change was the only continuity even on Arrakis, then the planet's reputation would have failed a millennium ago, but the fact that the sand remained the way it had been since the beginning was comforting.

Even if the sand meant nothing but a natural geographical occurrence that was more common on Arrakis to most people, those being the off-worlders, it did not mean the same to the natives of Arrakis. The sand was an identity, a home, a danger, a curse, and a blessing. It is the history of the planet. Each speck of sand in the miles of desert must had been there since the planet's birth, whatever may have caused that.

The natives of the Arrakis stayed away from change as much as they could, always mindful and always fearful of it. These desert dwellers knew the fragility of their lifestyle. They had stuck themselves in the most dangerous situation imaginable. The desert was hot both day and night. Water was a rarity, only able to be collected via large devices which stole the moisture from the air. The tension which was felt between each and every tribe. The unceasing presence of worms, the Shi-halud, which grew so large that it was encounter with death just by looking at them. These dangers threatened the natives to no end, but despite this, they flourished to incredible extents. It may have been one reason for their name, which they embraced. This was why they were called Fremen, for in the comfort of the sands, they were free.

All of this would seemed only to have been one of Stilgar's myriad of evening reflections. Young Chani's only concern was growing and overcoming, even as the young Fremen girl she was, she behaved much older. She participated in chats with the elder Fremen with regularity. She listened during meetings and took advice from many of those in charge of her, but silently. Chani was not talkative. It may have been one reason why Chani avoided other Fremen children, or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe she was quiet because the Fremen children avoided her. Though, she was too stubborn to accept that. She was the daughter of the revered leader of all Fremen, Liet-Kynes. Maybe it was because of this, that she was way the was she was. It made no difference to her. She was a scholar, and it kept her attention, and the elder Fremen engaged her in conversation, so socializing was not an issue for her, despite attempts by Stilgar and, occasionally, a few others to try and get her to talk and daresay even play with those of her age. Of course, she'd have none of it.

She acted as if she wanted to be in charge and deal with the worries of leadership, diplomacy and governance. It was astonishing to most. It was a sight to behold, that this Fremen girl, barely of the age of passage, excelled in so many ways. She was, with no doubt, the daughter of that powerful Liet-Kynes.

This was what made Stilgar proud, honestly. He worked hard trying to pass on the slightest piece of advice that could benefit her, and sometimes she listened, and other times, she'd go on her own way, and do what she deemed best. It was that rebellious touch that dwelt in all young no matter the society in which they were raised. It was human nature.

Chani would sit along the cliff's edge near the entrance to Sietch Tabr. It was her thinking spot, which allowed her to stare out over the visible desert. It seemed to stretch out for miles and miles. Chani had the thought many times that the desert had no end. She smiled just faintly at herself and her thoughts. It was silly of her to think something so obvious. Arrakis was a desert planet. Dune was what Chani had once heard it called by an off-worlder. She contemplated on that name longer than was necessary, and it distracted her from noticing that someone had sat beside her.

She quickly turned her head and saw that rough, bearded face of Stilgar's. She turned away just as quickly and returned her gaze to the sands. Her smile grew ever so slightly.

"I want to go out onto the sands." She decided. "Will you take me, Stilgar?" She asked.

Stilgar gave a slow, but light sigh.

"One day, soon, you will be allowed to accompany-" He began. Chani had cut him off, shaking her head.

"No, I don't want to be in a company. Just us, or better yet, just me." She said, before looking up at him.

"I'm not so sure about that." He replied.

"Right, 'cause it's too dangerous to go alone? The worms, the tribes, the off-worlders, and the heat?" She asked, annoyed.

Stilgar smiled widely. "You pay attention. That is good."

Chani began to sway her feet back and forth over the edge, sighing softly.

"I want to know these sands. This is my home, isn't it?" She asked.

Stilgar said nothing, but set his hands on his legs and watched the girl.

"Some say this planet is our responsibility." She continued. "How can I know what I am to be responsible for if I do not see it?"

Again, she looked up at Stilgar. "There's more out there than we see, Stil. I want to find it. I know there's danger, but that's part of life, isn't it? The idea of safety could not be comprehended without something there to be safe from."

Stilgar only continued to listen intently, somewhat captivated by her intelligence and her determination. She was, with no doubt, the daughter of Liet-Kynes, though it showed more in her subtleties than her more obvious characteristics.

"You are growing, Chani, and you want freedom. I am aware." He said to her. He held silent for a moment to contemplate something before giving a sigh indicating a decision. "You want to explore; you want to be a true Fremen. It's your desires which would make most Fremen better off in this world."

He stood up, brushing himself off. Chani's eyes were planted attentively on Stilgar in wonder of what he was coming to with his words. There was a touch of excitement in her, a nervous hope that he might have just given into her. She drifted for a moment, trying in earnest to experience freedom before she knew what it was. She thought that, maybe now, she would not be restricted by any Fremen elder or watcher.

Stilgar cleared his throat, before turning to look into the sietch. "Yes, I think you might just be ready for a little freedom." He murmured in thought. "The elders are holding a council with the reverend mother. You will attend as a study. I want you to watch and listen, and just maybe, an opportunity will present itself. Hmm?" He told her.

Chani scrambled to her feet and stared with excitement at Stilgar.

"Watch and listen?" She repeated questioningly. "You mean it?"

He smiled faintly, before crossing his arms calmly.

"I can make you no promises, Chani, but it the proper way of giving you a chance." He told her. "Also, I'd rather you not running off on your own in the dead of night."

She began to leap slightly in her shoes. She beamed with a happiness of only which she could understand. Yes, this was her chance to prove that she was suited for coming of age. She wanted to prove to the Fremen that she was ready to become. It pleased her for this opportunity.

Stilgar smiled before giving a burly yawn.

"Well, regardless, it's late now. We are lucky that we don't have to go out tonight, so get some rest. Hopefully this excitement won't keep you up." He said.

Chani nodded fervently and made her way into the sietch.

 _Author's Note: For any seasoned Dune fans out there, I have created a roleplay set in the Dune universe, which you can find here: forum/Dune-Legends-of-Arrakis/181373/._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Here is chapter two, surprisingly much longer than the first, which is good. Not much to inform the readers about, but I'd like to ask that if you enjoyed either of these chapters so far, that you would leave a review stating what you liked, what you didn't, so on. It would help me out considerably. Thank you all, and good night to you._

 **The Comforts Of The Sand - Chapter 2**

Despite the best efforts of Chani to avoid that terrible fate which Stilgar had ironically warned her of, she found herself lying on her blanketed slab in the farther part of the sietch. Darkness was dominant in the sietch, and Chani had noticed that even the wind had ceased it's fervent howling, causing the entirety of the world around her to lay with a silence that was uncomfortable to her. Though, it might have been for the fact that she could not get the thoughts of tomorrow's happenings out of her head. It so astounded her, this blossoming opportunity, that she was doomed to this restlessness the moment Stilgar's words passed through her ears. She could not think of a time that she was more expectant of the morning.

She stealthily rose up from her perplexed position and turned to stare out the small slit in the rock wall facing out. She could make out the waves of sand, but instead of them being their torched-tan color, they were like that of a deep blue-grey. There was no movement anywhere, another testament to the lack of natural air. Unconsciously, a frown touched the girl's lips. She was aware of what one meaning of no movement of air was, and she did not like thinking about it. A sandstorm was the most likely explanation, and the seer knowledge of that was already in the way of jeopardizing her opportunity. This thought caused her frown to deepen.

She could not despair now. It was something outside her power, though it probably meant nothing at all. She was used to sandstorms, and so should have been the Fremen, though they were always so overly cautious about anything to do with them. She found herself sighing. She was panicking, yes, perhaps. Oh, she did not know truly. Perhaps, she thought, that this was all just a side effect of her excitement. Her head was in the clouds, and now her subconscious was forcing her to return to the ground. She huffed and fell lightly down back onto the quilt. She was excited. She was too excited for her own good. She forced her eyes shut. All she wanted to do was sleep so day would arrive sooner.

It seemed not more than a heartbeat, however, before her eyes popped open to behold a different environment than the one she would have sworn she was in just mere moments ago. Her senses were dulled as she tried to force her mind and body to accept the rush of light through that tiny opening in the rock. Once she found herself able to, she sat up, though not with the same sly movements of the night before. These movements were drawn out and sloppy, though these types were expected to be present right after one woke up. As Chani rubbed her eyes, she noticed a much older Fremen woman enter into the room, bearing a set of clothing, along with Chani's stillsuit. The Fremen woman flashed a wise smile at her.

"I'm glad to see you already up, Chani. I was afraid I might have had to wake you myself." She said, setting the clothing and suit onto a chair beside Chani's bed. All Chani could do was give a soft grunt in response, as she was not fully awake yet.

"Ah, come now." The Fremen woman said amidst a laugh. "You'll need to be ready very soon, or you'll miss out on the meeting, y'know."

Chani's eyes widened just slightly more at the reminder of that, and she began to hurry herself waking up. There was no way that she was going to miss out on this opportunity. The woman took notice and her smile grew.

"Ah, I knew that'd speed you up." She said.

Chani gave a soft smile in response.

"Thank you, Harah." She managed to say.

"Worry not, dear," She said. "No doubt you're making both Stilgar and your father proud."

She soon left the room, leaving Chani to change alone. It did not take her long to do so, and she quickly left her room to head into the main passage. She did not know, however, exactly where the meeting would be, but she assumed that it would not be that difficult to find. She expected to merely stumble upon a circle of elder Fremen and that'd be it, but despite her best efforts to find that circle, she could find nothing of it.

She took a moment to attempt a recollection of Stilgar's words, but Chani soon came to the conclusion that Stilgar hadn't told her anything of the location of the meeting. She would get nowhere by herself, wandering around, so she began to switch her efforts to finding Harah again. She, being Stilgar's mistress, was usually well informed on many executive Fremen manners, and at this point, Chani didn't have much a choice. Stilgar was nowhere to be found.

Luckily for Chani, locating Harah did not take much time, despite Chani's feeling that she was running out of it. Though, that was most likely her excitement, which had shot up again now that she had come fully to her senses. The young Fremen girl approached the elder, who had long taken notice and offered her the same smile that she gave when Chani woke up.

"You're lost, dear." Harah deduced, although, something about her tone said that she had expected it.

Chani nodded her head.

"It would seem I failed to inquire about where the meeting would be held." She said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Do not worry about it. You let the excitement get to you. A minor mistake." Harah assured her. "You looked everywhere?"

Chani nodded a second time, folding her hands neatly in front of her and keeping a level head as she watched Harah speak.

"You checked outside?" Harah asked.

Chani blinked at that and felt a mental slap she gave herself. Harah's smile lit up even more.

"So much excitement, Chani..." She told her. "Now, go. It should not be that hard to find them."

Chani smiled to Harah before she left. Harah was the mother that Chani never had. She knew little of what happened to her, her father had told her nothing, and the other Fremen, including Stilgar, let on as if they did not know either. It was strange to her that no one would know of her mother, which causing that smile to falter, though, it made a full recovery. Harah was her mother, even if she was not; it was all she could believe.

She made her way to the entrance of the sietch, eager to see the committee in action. It was a rare occurrence for her, of course. The boys were more commonly assumed to be interested in management and politics and all those other elements that were involved in social responsibility. She would not say she enjoyed it, but no doubt that it made her feel different when she was exposed to it, good or bad, she could not tell. This was the reason why she was usually excited. She did not know what to expect from it, what she would take away from the experience.

She stepped out to as far as the cliff's edge would allow her feet to position themselves, her eyes darting all across the open sands. Standing like this always gave her happiness, a true happiness that she had convinced herself long ago that she would never be able to replicate. Her eyes stopped almost automatically on the ring of Fremen sitting on fiber blankets slightly caked in spice, which, in its wonderfully foreign scientific makeup, regulated heat.

She looked at the ramp meant for decent to the sand, but decided that going down that way would waste valuable time which was ticking away in her imaginary clock. She did something she probably would not have done in other case, and that was slide down the cliffside. Many, if not all, of the Fremen would have reprimanded her greatly for doing such a foolish thing, but she was hardly a novice when it came to her ability in balance and focus. She may have lacked in many areas, but nobody surpassed the Fremen girl in agility, which made the trip down the cliff so untroubling for her.

Just like that, she landed easily into a dune leaning against the base rock. She handled that so skillfully in her own mind, she wished someone had taken notice. Though, she'd hardly know for a while, until someone told Stilgar of her action, so that he could attempt to punish her for it.

She took off in a run to the ring, again, her excitement flaring up in an uncontrollable manner. She hastily scanned the ring and picked out Stilgar, him becoming her destination.

Stilgar saw her and began to stand.

"Well, I'm pleased Chani." He said. "You arrived sooner than I expected you to, which is a sure sign."

Chani flashed a worked smile to him and took a seat beside him on the edge of his blanket. She examined, with more attentiveness, the others seated at this ring. She knew the faces well, but not all of their names. This was not much of an issue to her, as she did reside in the largest sietch, and also that the elders were rarely talkative, other than amongst themselves. They spoke, as much as she could surmise, only their authoritative tongue, which had slight variation to the common Fremen speech. It was just enough that Chani had some issue with keeping up.

"What are they talking of, Stil?" She asked curiously.

Stilgar stroked his beard as he usually did when he was contemplating something that he deemed rather serious.

"The other tribes around here." Stilgar said.

Chani looked confused by this.

"I thought that we were on somewhat acceptable terms with them. Is something the matter?" She asked.

"Well, there's been rumors of a bribery. An outside higher-up bribing one of the tribes." He told her.

The confusion on her face transformed into a mix of shock and anger.

"No Fremen has ever given any respect to outsiders, let alone accept bribes from them!" Chani spoke quickly.

Stilgar gave a sound of approval and looked over at the other Fremen around them.

"You see. That's just it. Though, it seems, this is not the same anymore." Stilgar said.

"What are they planning to do about it?" The young girl asked. She knew it foolish to ask about who specifically it was, as there was no answer yet, nor would she ask if it was the sietch they were at, as Stilgar would have been the one to know about it as it was happening. Nothing happened here without Stilgar's knowledge and approval, and that was why Chani felt free here. She did not have to worry.

"Most likely, though the ring has not brought it up, they will send a party of trusted to various sietches and inquire about it." Stilgar surmised.

"I hope not openly. It would make it seem like accusation instead of inquiry, wouldn't it?" Chani asked him, a confidence not usually touching her voice. She was very concentrated on this topic, and Stilgar could tell, a twinkle of pride for her touching his eyes.

"Yes, it would, so then they would come up with a ruse. A way to work around it." Stilgar continued.

"Will anything be done about the outsiders who initiated the bribe?" She asked.

"I would believe not for a while, and then again, maybe not at all." Stilgar mused.

Chani took a moment to turn and listen to those old Fremen babble away in their intelligent whispers. Although she enjoyed open debates, she rarely ever cared for it in official matters. She had always believed that there was a better way to discuss such imperative matters, though for now, she could only sigh at it.

Though, as she did such a thing, the rabble broke up and separated for a moment, each of the members responding to each other with constant nodding. Stilgar rose and returned to the edge of the circle, leaving Chani to wait there. She blinked and smiled. Just by what she could hear, she could tell that everything that Stilgar had assumed was true.

The ring departed after a moment of silence, and Stilgar returned to Chani. She looked up at him eagerly.

"Perhaps you'd like to accompany a group to one of the sietchs?" Stilgar said.

She smirked, giving just that as an answer, and Stilgar's face was touched by a smile as well.

"I will send you ahead with a group headed for Sietch Jabor. It's about two-day journey from here, which will suit you well. Close enough that you won't worry anyone, and a somewhat mild sietch, which will hopefully not cause any trouble, or better yet, for you not to cause any trouble in." He said to her, smiling widely at the end of his speech.

Though, Chani laughed about it.

"It's a pity you know me so well, Stilgar." She chuckled in saying.

"Go now, and get packed, Chani." Stilgar said, shooing her off.


End file.
